zeitkapsl
🇦🇹hardcode GmbH
📖Open source
Replaces
One-time Purchase
European Cloud Storage Alternatives
Cloud storage and file sync from European companies, as alternatives to Google Drive and Dropbox, from Tresorit and pCloud to Nextcloud, which you can run on your own servers.
19 European alternativesSee the shortlist
Affiliate partnership — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
10 Free Options
5 Open Source
3 Self-Hosted
8 Countries
What actually separates these cloud storage services
Is it a sync drive, a backup or a photo archive?
Most services here sync files between your computer, your phone and the cloud, which is what replacing Google Drive or Dropbox means for most people: pCloud, Tresorit, Proton Drive, Filen, Internxt, Koofr, Jottacloud, kDrive, Nextcloud and Twake Workplace (formerly Cozy). Two do something narrower. Infomaniak Swiss Backup backs up workstations, servers, mobile devices and virtual machines with Acronis, and zeitkapsl is encrypted storage for photos and videos. S3 object storage and cloud servers are listed separately, under cloud infrastructure.
Sources: Tresorit, Filen, Infomaniak Swiss Backup, zeitkapsl
Can the provider read your files?
Only if the files are not encrypted on your device first. Tresorit says it encrypts all files on your device before they leave it. Filen describes itself as zero-knowledge, client-side encrypted storage. Proton Drive's free plan has the same encryption as its paid plans. Internxt encrypts files end to end and splits them into fragments, so a server never holds a whole file. pCloud offers zero-knowledge encryption through pCloud Encryption, Koofr through Koofr Vault for your most important files, and Nextcloud as optional per-folder encryption on the client. zeitkapsl, a photo and video backup, encrypts on your device and only you hold the key.
Sources: Tresorit, Filen, Proton Drive: pricing, Internxt: pricing, pCloud: security, Koofr, Nextcloud: secure, zeitkapsl
Where are the files kept?
kDrive is hosted only in Switzerland, in Infomaniak's own data centres. Jottacloud stores data in Norway, Koofr on servers in Germany, and Twake Workplace hosts all data in France. Internxt spreads files across several European data centres, including OVHcloud's. Nextcloud keeps data in your own data centre, on a server you manage.
Sources: kDrive, Jottacloud, Koofr: privacy, Twake Workplace, Internxt: data centres, Nextcloud: about
What does it cost, and is there a free plan?
pCloud sells lifetime plans paid once, next to monthly and annual plans. Koofr's first 10 GB are free forever, and its smallest paid plan, Briefcase S, is 0.5 EUR a month for 10 GB. Proton Drive, Jottacloud and Twake Workplace give 5 GB free; Jottacloud's free accounts are not for businesses. Internxt's free plan has 1 GB. Filen's free plan asks you to log in at least once every three months to keep your data active. Tresorit and zeitkapsl have trials instead of free plans, and zeitkapsl says plainly there is no free tier.
Sources: pCloud: pricing, Koofr: pricing, Proton Drive: pricing, Jottacloud: terms, Twake Workplace: pricing, Internxt: pricing, Filen: terms, zeitkapsl
Is there a Linux app?
Tresorit, Internxt and Koofr list desktop apps for Linux next to Windows and macOS. Filen can mount its drive as a network drive on Linux through its command-line tool or desktop client.
Sources: Tresorit: pricing, Internxt: pricing, Koofr, Filen
Checked in September 2026 against the sources linked under each answer.
Notable
- End-to-end encryption locks photos and videos on your device before they ever reach zeitkapsl, and only you hold the key
- Albums can be shared with friends and family, who can add their own photos via link or QR code without an app or account
- Photo library searchable by location, time, people or text
Where it falls short
- No free tier. source
Pricing: from 2 € per month (homepage)
- Starter plan: 50 GB storage for 1 user
Pick zeitkapsl if you want all AI processing to happen locally on your device.(our assessment)
Checked against zeitkapsl's homepage, about page and privacy policy.
Fenritec Alpha
🇫🇷Fenritec
🖥️Self-hostable✓Free plan
Replaces
+3 more
freemium
Notable
- Teams co-edit documents in real time and everything is automatically backed up
- Daily automatic backup that keeps a copy of files even after deletion
- Restore files with one click and resume work immediately
Where it falls short
- Uploads of files larger than 5 GB are not guaranteed. source
Pricing: from 5.99 € / month for 150 GB (homepage)
- Free plan: restore limited to 15 days and 2 file shares
Pick Fenritec Alpha if you want 15 GB free forever with no credit card required.(our assessment)
Checked against Fenritec Alpha's legal notice, homepage and privacy policy.
Nextcloud
🇩🇪Nextcloud GmbH
📖Open source🖥️Self-hostable
Replaces
+4 more
freemium
Notable
- Shares can be protected by passwords, expiration dates, blocked downloads or a video call before access (Video Verification)
- Optional per-folder end-to-end encryption on the client, with the server assisting in sharing and key management using a zero-knowledge model
- Audio and video conferencing and text chat in browser and mobile, with integrated screen sharing and SIP integration (Nextcloud Talk)
Where it falls short
- The vendor does not offer Nextcloud hosting for others. source
Pricing: from 71.29€ per user per year (pricing page)
Pick Nextcloud if you want your files under the control of your organisation's IT administrators.(our assessment)
Checked against Nextcloud's homepage, secure page, about page, pricing page, privacy policy and legal notice.
Infomaniak kDrive
🇨🇭Infomaniak
Replaces
+3 more
freemium
Infomaniak kDrive is a secure online storage on a fully sovereign cloud.
Notable
- Stores photos, videos and documents that you can access wherever you are, up to 106 TB of data
- File editing with OnlyOffice
- Share and receive files directly in your kDrive with drop boxes
Where it falls short
- Online editing with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is integrated into kDrive Pro and kSuite Pro & Enterprise. source
- kDrive Solo: 3 TB of storage, which cannot be increased, and 1 user max
- kDrive Team: 6 users included and max, from 3 TB of storage that can be increased to 18 TB
Pick Infomaniak kDrive if you want drop boxes to receive files directly in your kDrive.(our assessment)
Checked against Infomaniak kDrive's kdrive page, pricing page, legal notice and about page.
Infomaniak Swiss Backup
🇨🇭Infomaniak
paid
Notable
- Back up and recover workstations, servers, virtual machines and NAS
- Cloud backup space usable with software of your choice compatible with Swift, S3 or SFTP protocols
- Acronis software backs up a complete image of computers or chosen folders
Pricing: from CHF 4.18 / month for 1 TB (pricing page)
Pick Infomaniak Swiss Backup if you want Acronis backups of workstations, servers, mobile devices and virtual machines.(our assessment)
Checked against Infomaniak Swiss Backup's swiss backup page, pricing page, legal notice and about page.
Looking for alternatives to a specific product?
Which should you choose?
- Pick Fenritec Alpha if you want 15 GB free forever with no credit card required.
- Pick Infomaniak kDrive if you want drop boxes to receive files directly in your kDrive.
- Pick Infomaniak Swiss Backup if you want Acronis backups of workstations, servers, mobile devices and virtual machines.
- Pick Nextcloud if you want your files under the control of your organisation's IT administrators.
- Pick zeitkapsl if you want all AI processing to happen locally on your device.
Our assessment, based only on the checked statements above.
How we checked this
We checked 5 of the 7 alternatives on this page against each company's own website in September 2026. Every line in the grey panels comes from that company’s own site, and a second check tried to disprove it before we kept it. A dash in the table means we could not verify that detail. "Pick it if" lines are our own assessment, based only on those checked statements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there free European cloud storage tools?
Yes. PixelUnion, Yungle, Fenritec Alpha, Internxt, Tresorit, Twake Workplace, Jottacloud, Proton Drive and 2 more (see the table) are free or have a free plan, according to the pricing each company publishes. Free plans usually carry limits; each product page links to the company's terms.
Which European cloud storage tools are open source?
zeitkapsl, Nextcloud, Internxt, Proton Drive and Filen publish their source code under an open-source licence. Each product page shows the licence and where the code is.
Which European cloud storage tools can you host yourself?
Fenritec Alpha, Nextcloud and Twake Workplace can be run on your own servers, according to their own documentation.